That led the team to think about interactive storytelling — about whether it could offer a modern, televised version of the old Choose Your Own Adventure series, which sold 250 million copies in the 1980s and ‘90s. The multiple-choice approach to narrative was already the default for video games and educational software. And hit Hollywood movies had also played with branching narratives, from Clue to Sliding Doors to Memento. The fact that interactivity had not yet come to television came to look, from Netflix’s perspective, like a technical problem. And so it set about building.

I attend E3 as a journalist, but in my heart I’m also a fan — glad for a chance to play Shadow of War before the rest of the world, just as any of my game-playing friends would be. An E3 geared more toward average people would ensure that thousands of fans leave LA as ambassadors, doing the hard work of promoting developers’ games for free. Turning digital games into temporary physical spaces is time-consuming and expensive. But at a time when consumers crave new experiences above all else, game developers may just find that it’s worth it.

If you’re just learning to get your finances in order, or you’re ready to start giving them some more thought, you have a wealth of app options. You can get by with a single app for music, maps, notes, and calendars, but when it comes to managing your money, no one app will do. Your bank’s app will tell you how much money is in your account, but when it comes to getting a picture of your overall finances, or saving for a major purchase, or splitting the tab at a restaurant, you’re pretty much on your own.

Going to the gym is still a chore. But with apps like Strong, working out feels more like a game that you're playing with yourself: Can you make the numbers all move in the right direction? It's not the most fun I've ever had, but it's enough to get me to the gym. That's enough to make it one of the most powerful apps on my phone, and easily one of my favorites.

I’ve been using the app on Mac and iOS for the past week, and have generally been impressed — despite a handful of flaws that will likely be deal-breakers for many. But mostly I want to talk about three things Things 3 does extremely well — and ought to inspire makers of to-do list apps the world over to imitate or improve on them.